Florida Wakeskater Faces DUI Charge after Halloween

The ability to ride a wakeskate well was not enough to help a 26 year old woman, Kristine Gagnier, avoid being arrested for DUI on her way home from a Halloween party last week. The arrest took place after Ms Gagnier was alleged to have been observed driving erratically by a police officer in her car, a Chevy Cavalier – not on her wakeskate, which is a board used on the water, a bit like a wakeboard.

According to the report released after the arrest, the young woman was dressed in an “arresting” Halloween costume at the time, consisting of a nude color bathing suit, dressed as a pig and wearing zombie style contact lenses.

However, it was not her appearance that led to her arrest and no doubt had nothing to do with it at all. She was allegedly seen driving erratically in the early morning of last Friday, after Halloween. The officer’s report indicated that he first spotted her weaving out of her lane across first the lane markings on her left, then on her right.

The report then goes on to say that she was stopped and was observed to have “red eyes, slurred speech, an odor of alcohol and admitted having had a drink”. She was apparently asked to complete a sobriety test, which she is alleged to have failed and was then arrested and taken for a breath test at the Orange County DUI center. She was alleged to have had a blood alcohol content of 0.12, which is 1.5 times the state legal limit of 0.08%.

DUI lawyers strongly advise Florida drivers to make alternative transport arrangements after going to any party where they are likely to have a drink. Even if you do not have any sort of alcoholic drink, wearing an unusual costume like that of a pig while driving is enough to provide an opportunity for law enforcement officers to stop you, especially at a known party time like Halloween when DUI patrols are more likely to be extra vigilant.

Police officers must have reasonable cause to stop a person and this includes anything which they see may be wrong with the vehicle as well as the way it is driven. Weaving from side to side and crossing over lane boundaries, like was alleged to have been observed with Ms. Gagnier is a give away as far as police are concerned and it is likely that anyone seen driving like this will be stopped, whether they have zombie style contact lenses or not.

Florida state law enforcement officers generally do not see the humorous side of driving under the influence, as was evidenced the other day when another man was arrested for DUI after driving his lawnmower down the road in fancy dress. Florida laws for DUI are among the toughest in the country and if you are convicted for DUI on even a first offense you can expect a significant fine and even possible imprisonment, although this is unusual, unless someone has been seriously injured or killed.

The worst aspect of a Florida DUI charge is the fact that you may end up with a life long criminal conviction which can affect you and your family for a very long time. As a prominent sports player, it is at the least going to mean you get into the news, but if you apply for another job or want promotion in your present one, then that single criminal offense can hang around your neck like a noose.

No doubt Kristine Gagnier will find a good DUI attorney to help represent her constitutional rights in Orlando. If you are arrested for DUI, there is often much that a skillful DUI attorney can do to help you fight a DUI charge. Experienced attorneys can help get a charge dismissed for lack of substantive evidence or may be able to get the penalties reduced through a plea bargain.